15. Divide the class into teams of five or six students. You will do part of this problem-solving exercise on your own and part of it with your team. Then you will compare the two ways of working.

The problem you will consider is that your school is spending more money than it should on energy bills. The school wants to find ways to operate more efficiently by using less energy. Working on your own, think about this problem, and list some ideas for reducing energy use. After several minutes of this, your instructor will direct you to work on this problem as a team. With your team, compile a list of ideas. You can start with the ideas you listed individually; see if you can add further ideas. Use any strategies you learned for creative thinking and generating ideas in a group.

Next, return to individual problem solving. Review the team’s list of ideas, and choose one to be the idea you recommend to your school. Write down your reasons for selecting that solution. After several minutes, your instructor will direct you to return to working with your team. As a team, discuss which recommendation to present and why. See if you can agree on a recommendation before time runs out on this exercise.

Finally, as a class, discuss these two approaches to problem solving (individual thought and teamwork). Did you generate more ideas individually or as a team?

Which way generated the best ideas? What methods helped you think most creatively? How did you select an idea to recommend when you worked independently and with a team? What criteria did you use for making the decision each way? What principles from the chapter could have helped you improve your problem-solving process?